


Three, Two, One

by SailorChibi



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, New Year's Eve, No Angst, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Has A Heart, basically living the dream, dad tony stark, fluff and a happy ending, i won't believe anyone who tries to tell me otherwise, implied strange family, implied supreme family, ironstrange first kiss, new year's eve kiss, peter parker gets to show up the kids at his high school, stephen strange is in love with tony stark, tony stark gets happy ending, tony stark has a son, tony stark thinks he is the cool uncle, what a novel thought, when in reality he is the dorky dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-01 21:21:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17251598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: Tony throws a New Year's Eve party to help Peter save face, never expecting that he'll receive a kiss of his own from his crush at midnight.





	Three, Two, One

Christmas passes by quietly for Tony this year. His friends are all otherwise occupied with their families, and he's okay with that. He really is. After everything that happened, all Tony really wants for Christmas is the opportunity to sleep through the whole day and not be bothered by anyone or anything. He does drag himself out of bed long enough to have supper with May and Peter, and therein lies the problem.

Or, well, not a problem _per se_. Not for Tony, anyway. It is a problem for Peter. Tony notices that the kid looks a little down during dinner, though he forces a smile whenever May looks in his direction. It's at once perplexing and intriguing, and no sooner have the dishes been washed than Tony backs the kid into a corner.

"Okay, what's up?" he says, peering down at Peter. Though not as far down as he'd like. Peter's shooting up like a weed. It won’t be long until he’s taller than Tony.

"Nothing," Peter says, all wide eyes and crap lies. God help them the day the kids learns how to lie.

"Peter." Tony folds his arms. "What have I told you?"

"You can't help if you don't know the problem," Peter says, sighing. "It's just stupid, that's all."

"Let me be the judge of that, okay?"

"Fine." Peter's quiet for a moment longer before he bursts out with: "All the kids at school have plans for New Year's Eve but I don't. I wasn't invited to any parties and neither was Ned. We're just going to end up sitting around here all night. That means when we go back to school in January, people will make fun of us because we didn't do anything cool. That's all."

Tony should've guessed that something like this was the problem. He thinks for a few seconds, then snags his cell phone out of his pocket and checks it, scrolling through his calendar. He's got a massive list of invites for New Year's Eve, of course. Stark Industries always throws an amazing party, and Tony is honor-bound to put in an appearance there and at a few other places. But otherwise, he sees nothing that he really wants to do.

"Alright, here's what we're gonna do," he says, leaning in close. "You with me?"

"Yeah," Peter breathes, listening intently.

"You and I are going to throw a party together, by which I mean you will be throwing it and I will attend," Tony says.

"Really?!"

"Yes, really. I'll have someone do the legwork, but you'll have to invite everyone. It'll be a lot of work. Think you can do it?"

"Heck yeah!" Peter says. "Thank you!" He throws his arms around Tony in a quick hug, then darts out of the room yelling about calling Ned.

"That was sweet of you," May says from where she's been eavesdropping. "He's been freaking out about it."

Tony shrugs. "It's no big deal. I have loads of money and space. Someone might as well use it. You can come too if you want. I'll make sure there's adult only entertainment there, and by that I mean alcohol and lots of it."

"You're singing my song," May says, grinning. "Of course, the main reason I want to come for supervisory purposes."

"Of course," Tony agrees, amused. "And don't worry. I'll make sure Rhodey or Pepper or someone who is actually responsible is there."

"Well, you'e going to be there. So the responsible part is covered," May says, her eyes warm.

"That depends on who you ask," Tony says with a small smile. "Thanks for supper." 

She sees him to the door. As he walks down to the car, Tony gets Pepper on the phone. They've got a lot of work to do if they're going to plan an awesome New Year's Party for a bunch of teenagers in less than a week. Luckily, Pepper adores Peter just as much as Tony does, and the instant she hears it's for Peter she gets all fired up about it and starts making calls.

He extends the invitation around to the rest of the team, because frankly they all love Peter. Rhodey and Carol both agree to come. Strange is non-committal, and Wong flat-out says no. Bruce is still going to be out of town, and Loki and Thor are both off planet. So are the Guardians. Valkyrie, on the other hand, promises to come with a wide grin that makes Tony both nervous and immediately think she's gonna rock a lot of worlds.

Come New Years Eve, Tony gets dressed in one of his finest suits. He watches the video feed while he's dressing and gets endless amusement out of the shocked looks on the faces of the kids coming in. It couldn't be more obvious than all of them expected to show up and be turned away; he's heard before that most of them don't believe Peter knows him.

Coincidentally, this party will also put an end to that.

When they're all packed in, FRIDAY sends him a note and Tony heads downstairs. The music cuts off as he struts in and a hush falls over the room. He surveys the room and spots Peter, immediately setting a direct course for him. Peter is clearly trying not to be too smug about the whole thing, which clearly proves he's a better person than Tony will ever be.

"Welcome to a Stark New Year's Eve party," Tony says loudly, wrapping an arm around Peter's shoulders. "All of you can thank my kid here for making this happen. Otherwise, you all would be stuck at lame parties that aren't hosted by a billionaire, superhero philanthropist." He smiles broadly. "Have fun, but I should warn you that FRIDAY will know if you're underage and she'll respond accordingly. Feel free to pester her if being sprayed with water is your thing."

A wave of laughter spreads through the room, though Tony is completely serious. It's a matter of time until the first person figures it out. 

"Thanks Tony," Peter says softly, too quiet for anyone else to hear.

"No worries, kiddo," Tony murmurs back. He lightly ruffles Peter's hair just to hear the kid squawk. "The underage drinking goes for you too."

"Aww, man!"

"I wonder what a sixteen-year-old Tony Stark would think of that rule."

Tony blinks, then grins as he turns around. "Probably the same thing sixteen-year-old Stephen Strange would think," he says, mouth going dry at the sight of Strange in a tailored, three-piece black suit. The cut highlights Strange's long, slender frame.

"I'll have you know I didn't drink until I was twenty-one," Strange says loftily.

"I bet if I borrowed that stone of yours and went back in time, I'd see differently," Tony replies. He glances around for Strange's cloak, which is never far away from him, and spots it doing tricks for a crowd of awed high school students.

"Good thing you can't use it," Strange says. Finally, he smiles. "It's a pleasure to see you tonight, Tony."

"You too," Tony says. "I thought you couldn't come?"

"I wasn't sure, but luckily things cleared up. It helped that Pepper mentioned to me that you didn't have an escort for the various parties you have to put in an appearance at tonight. She suggested I might fill that gap."

"Did she now?" Tony says dryly, slinging a glare in Pepper's direction. She just smiles back at him from where she, May and Carol are drinking cocktails.

"Is that a no?" Strange asks.

"No. I mean, it's a yes. Definitely yes." 

"Excellent." Strange offers his arm. Tony feels an uncomfortable flurry of sensation in his stomach as he takes Strange's arm, and realizes with no small amount of horror that he's actually feeling _butterflies_.

He's been hanging around Peter way too much.  
They leave the party together. What follows is a dizzying whirl of glitz and glamour. People are always happy to see Tony at events like these, mostly because it means their parties will show up in the news. Tony finds himself relieved to have Strange's steady presence at his side. He's not as good at schmoozing as he used to be. He's not sure if it's because he's getting old or if, after everything that's happened, he's just tired.

It's nearly midnight before they return to the Tower. Tony is exhausted, but he still dredges up a smile when they find the party going strong. Peter is dancing with a redhead and looking more excited than Tony's ever seen him. The temptation to walk over and tease the kid a little in front of the girl is strong, but Strange tugs him outside onto the balcony instead.

"You're a good dad," Strange says over the music. It's a bit quieter out here, but not by much.

Tony huffs a laugh. "Peter's not mine. Everyone thinks he is, but he's not."

"He's yours in every way that matters. Or do you really think that May would leave him to anyone else if something happened to her?"

Strange has a point and Tony knows it, but it makes him a little uncomfortable to contemplate it too closely. He shrugs and turns away, looking out over the city. "If May were smart, she'd keep Peter away from me. I'm not a good influence."

"You saved the world, Tony," Strange points out. "Multiple times over. I wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for you."

"Iron Man did that, not me."

Strange sighs. "I disagree. Tony Stark was the one who never gave up. Tony Stark was the one who found a solution. Tony Stark was the one who brought the new Avengers together. You _are_ Iron Man, remember?"

There's a lump in Tony's throat, which he quickly swallows. No one's ever said that to him before. "Yeah, I guess I am," he says, leaning against the balcony. "Still. I'm not dad material. I'm perfectly comfortable playing the part of the cool uncle who has tons of money, good connections, and a Tower that's great for parties."

"You are all that," Strange agrees, leaning against the balcony too. "Look, the ball is starting to drop."

Inside, Tony hears the music cut. The kids start up a countdown, counting backwards from thirty. 

"I'm a little surprised we're all here to see this," Tony blurts out. 

"Me too," Strange admits. "But I'm glad we are. And I'd like to start the new year off with no regrets."

Tony cocks his head, wondering what that's like. "Sounds good to me. Do it."

The kids get to ten and their shouting gets louder.

Strange turns to face him. His expression is soft, but intent. Tony's knees feel weak as Strange's hand lifts, and shaking fingers brush across his cheek. There's a question in Strange's eyes, hanging in the air between them, and Tony finds himself holding his breath as he nods slightly.

As the ball drops and the fireworks explode and the kids scream, Strange kisses him. It's very slow and sweet, like he's trying to memorize the taste of Tony's lips just from that one kiss. 

"Happy New Year," Strange whispers against his lips. "Tony."

"Happy New Year, Stephen," Tony whispers back. Then he surges upwards, kissing Strange more forcefully. They've just gotten a good rhythm going when -

"My eyes! Oh my god, I'm blind!" Peter yowls from somewhere behind them.

"Damn kid," Tony huffs, breaking the kiss. "I'm putting him up for adoption."

Strange laughs and Tony turns to glare, not surprised to see Rhodey, Pepper, May, and Peter all standing in the balcony doorway behind him. Peter's got his hands dramatically clasped across his face. There's also a shit-eating grin on his face. Tony tries not to smile, but the whole situation is too much for him and he finds himself beaming.

"Happy New Year, you little shit," Tony says, leaning back against Strange.

Peter lets his hands fall and beams at him. "Happy New Year."

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


End file.
